How to Extinguish Charcoal Grill: 5 Easy Steps (2024)

Charcoal grills don’t come with an easy on/off switch and staying lit will only end up wasting fuel and potential hazards due to their intense heat. You must, therefore, make sure you put out the fire once you are done cooking. So, how are you supposed to put off your charcoal grill?

Here’s the quick answer on how to extinguish charcoal grill: cut off oxygen supply by shutting the vents and then leave the coals to cool for up to 48 hours. Get rid of the ashes and use a pair of tongs to pick unburned coals and place them in an aluminum foil to recycle for later use. Or use them for other purposes you will find later in this article.

This article looks at safe ways to put off your charcoal grill while preserving any unburned charcoal for later use. We will teach you how to safely put out your charcoal grill and dispose of used charcoal and ash. You will also learn different ways to save unused charcoal for later use and more.

Table of Contents

Why Do You Need to Put it Out?

You are done with grilling your food, and thus you don’t need the grill anymore, right? The challenge is that you can’t do it in haste. There are still lumps of lit charcoal there, which will continue to burn until it is completely exhausted unless you take the initiative of putting it out.

If you have placed a lot of charcoal in the grill, it can take many hours. During this time, it will burn away if left unattended. It will pose a risk to your household occupants and pets, as well as your property. But how is this possible?

Unless you’re near the grill, you can eaisly think that it is off and no longer hot.

Anyone can sustain a severe burn from a hot grill. Or suppose a pet accidentally crashes into it and knocks it over. Imagine hot coals spread all over your house. And a few bumps into grass or fabric to start a serious fire.

Gas emissions, including carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, also will pollute the environment. Plus, you are wasting charcoal that you can save and use the next time you are cooking.

Experts have demonstrated that charcoal can stay lit for up to 24 hours, if not longer. Trying to dispose of coals that are not completely used may start a fire. Lastly, the best lump wood charcoals are costly. Extinguishing them before they are used up can save a lot of your hard-earned cash.

Things You Will Need

You require some level of skill to properly extinguish burning charcoal. To ensure you are doing it the right way, you should have a few tools at your disposal. Below is a list of the main essentials:

Heatproof barbecue gloves
A bucket of water
Aluminum foil
Metal spatula
Baking soda
Grill tongs
Wire brush
Fire extinguisher

How to Put Out a Charcoal Grill With or Without a Lid?

Step 1: Wear Heat Resistant Gloves

The first step is to put on the heatproof barbecue gloves and ensure that they are thick and heat resistant enough to shield you against excessive temperatures.

Gently remove the rack from your grill and close the rid.

If your grill comes with vents, make sure they are also closed. This step helps to ensure that no oxygen can enter the chambers while also preventing airflow from lighting the fire.

Coals may take a very long time to burn out, and you are also not very sure if they are hot or not. It is thus recommendable to leave the grills for up to 48 hours, with all the vents shut. Although it may not take all this time, it is good to be certain.

Step 2: Remove Ashes and Briquettes

Once the 48 hours have elapsed, and your grill has totally cooled, you should remove the ashes and burned-out briquettes.

Scoop up the ashes using an ash removal bucket. Place them on a large sheet of aluminum foil before disposing of them.

Wrap up the sheet carefully and trash them in a metal bin or carrier. Avoid using plastic bags at every cost because any sign of amber can cause melting or burning.

Even if the briquettes seem cold, transfer them from the wrapped up aluminum foil to the can using a pair of tongs. This precaution is vital in reducing the risk of flare-ups and flames that can cause harm or burns.

If you are impatient enough to wait all this time for the briquettes to cool, take them off with the ash using a pair of tongs with long handles. Another precaution is important if you choose this alternative. Pour the ash and briquettes into separate metallic containers.

If the coals are still hot, they will continue burning in the metallic container to form more ashes. In such a case, the best alternative is to remove one by one and then dip it into a bucket of cold water.

Step 3: Avoid water if you can

This is an important step that requires more emphasis for anyone learning how to turn off charcoal grill. We strongly recommend against pouring or spraying water directly onto your charcoal barbecue grill when it is still hot.

You should wait until it has completely cooled down, even if it means waiting for 48 hours. Charcoals burn at very high temperatures, and dousing them with water can cause your grills to crack.

Another threat that comes from pouring water directly to burning coals is that they create harsh levels of steam and disperse hot ashes, which in turn cause serious burns.

Step 4: Clean out the grills

Sweep out all the remaining ashes from the grill using a metallic grill spatula. You should then thoroughly clean up the entire chamber while paying special attention to vents where ashes can enter and cause obstructions.

Use a wire brush on the lower part of the grill and on the grates. You can clean the grates with soap and water at an interval you prefer. We recommend lubricating these parts with silicone spray, which acts as an anti-rusting agent, thus making your charcoal durable.

Step 5: Recycle leftover briquettes

Once they have completely cooled down, take back the used briquettes in the bottom half of your grill so that you can use them again for the second time. Remember to use a pair of tongs when transferring them.

What Can I Do With My Charcoal Ashes?

We certainly hope that you now know what to do with charcoal after grilling, but what about the ashes? Disposing of the ash is hectic if you use a charcoal barbecue grill or a fire pit. You definitely don’t want a fire bin outside your home. Similarly, you don’t want to set fire to the waste collection vehicle that serves your area.

Nevertheless, you can safely dispose of your used ashes with minimal waste and even improve your garden soil. Here are some ways you can use your used charcoal or ashes:

Make fertilizer

Charcoal ash makes a great fertilizer if you also happen to keep a garden. You can repurpose the charcoal ash as a fertilizer if the ash from the wood charcoal does not contain additives. Charcoal ash is rich in potassium carbonate that can offer nutrition to many plants.

Fight beetles

Charcoal ashes can be helpful if your garden area has a beetle infestation. You can solve the problem by mixing charcoal ash with lime and regular water. This mixture acts like a spray to keep the beetles away.

Make lye soap

Charcoal ash is a great ingredient in making lye soap. This soap is multipurpose and worth making if you have plenty of ash. The soap can be used to de-skunk your pets if unexpectedly sprayed by a skunk. Plus, this soap from charcoal ash can shine on any silver items in your house.

Control algae

Another practical use for charcoal ash is to control algae if you have a pond on your property. Algae can become a menace unless taken good care of. To do this, use a tablespoon of charcoal ash for every 1,000 gallons of water in your pond.

How to Use Unused Charcoal

So you are done with the grilling session, but you have not finished up all of your charcoal. If this happens quite often, you can use your unused charcoal in different ways.

They include:

Eliminate odors

Unused charcoal helps rid odors in your kitchen, freezer, or refrigerator. Just place some unused charcoal at the source of the smell. Placing a piece of unused charcoal inside your shoes can eliminate foot odors too!

Compost unused charcoal

Composting unused charcoal is another option. Just a few pieces will help to increase the carbon content. Carbon is important for your compost because it serves as a source of energy for microorganisms to break down the organic matter.

Preserve cut flowers

Cut flowers look stunning in vases, but the challenge is that they don’t last very long. Placing a few pieces of unused charcoal can make you cut flowers to last longer.

Deal with rust

Rust can be problematic, and plenty of items in your house are highly vulnerable to rust. Luckily, you can use your unused charcoal to deal with your rust issues. Charcoal absorbs moisture and prevents items from rusting. Placing some charcoal inside your toolbox can keep your tools in better shape.

Suppress weed

Efforts to maintain your garden can be rendered futile by weeds. In a crushed form, the unused charcoal helps suppress weeds and prevent them from growing.

How to Dispose of Charcoal Ashes

Wait for the charcoal ashes to cool or splash some water to speed up the process.
Once the charcoal ashes have cooled down completely, wrap them in aluminum foil or put them in a metal container.
You can then dispose of in outdoor garbage or a compost pit

Note: Never place charcoal ashes near something flammable.

How Long Does Charcoal Take to Burn Out?

Certain factors come into play to determine how long it takes for charcoal to burn out. These include the type of wood, additives, the size of the vents, and much more.

In the majority of open types of BBQ applications, such as direct grilling, skewers, rotisseries, and churrasco, most lump charcoal products offer 2-3 hours of burn time. In contrast, briquettes can push out for up to 5 hours.

In a low or restricted oxygen environment, you can expect double the lasting time on average compared to an open grilling environment. That means lump charcoal can take up to 6 hours, while briquettes can give you up to 10 hours.

In short, more oxygen yields higher heat and shorter burning time, while low oxygen means lower temperatures but prolonged burn time.

Can I Pour Water on My Charcoal Grill?

Pouring water on a hot charcoal grill can not only damage your grill but can also be dangerous to you or those around you. Water can also cause cracks and holes in the metal of your grill. It can also leave a mess of sludge that can be hard to clean up from the bottoms of your grill, making it a tedious job.

Pouring water on your hot charcoal grill forms a cloud of steam that can cause severe burns. Plus, it can also send ashes flying out of the grill.

In short, you should never pour water directly onto a hot grill.

Final Verdict

We stress grilling precautions and safety, especially if you are dealing with hot charcoal briquettes.

Your grill can stay hot for several hours after you are through with cooking. Thus, it is important to learn how to extinguish charcoal grill. It is advisable not to put the cover right away after grilling.

Most importantly, always remember to keep the kids away from the hot charcoal grill. Another precaution is to avoid putting your coals out if they are still burning.

After reading this guide, you should now be well informed about what you can do with ashes and unused charcoal. Nothing should go to waste, and recycling is paramount in cutting your grilling costs and preserving the environment.

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